Improvement in treating ardent spirits



SPEED & SMITH.

Treating Spirits.

Patented July 15. 1862.

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JOHN JAMES SPEED, OF GOEHAM, MAINE, AND FRANCIS BARTLETT SMITH,

OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

lM'PROVEMENT IN TREATING ARDENT SPIRETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,900, dated July 15,1802.

To a, whom it may concernr Be it known that we, J OHN JAMES SPEED, ofGorham, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, and FnancrsBARTLETT SMITH, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andState of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in theProcess of Rectifying Ardent Spirits, which we believe to be new and notheretofore known or used; and we declare the following to be a truedescription of our process and apparatus for accomplishing said purpose.

Our improved process consists in the use and forcing of atmospheric airthrough the spirits operated upon, and in saving the alcohol which theair takes up in the operation.

Our apparatus consists of a steam-engine or other power, an air-pump orits equivalent, a tight vat or cask to contain the liquor to berectified, and three or more like vats or casks of smaller size tocontain water, with tubes to conduct the air from one to the other, ashereinafter described, until it escapes from the last of the series intothe open atmosphere.

The drawings, with the letters and figures i 1 is atight cask to containthe liquor. E F c are watercasks. O I L M NP J K H are conducting-tubes.V W X Y are stop-cocks. R S T are openings in the heads of thewater-casks for the escape of the air, and may be closed with a stopcockor plug, when required, in the process hereinafter described. The air isforced through atube to a point near the bot tom of the liquor in caskD, and there escaping from the tube, it thence ascends through theliquor to a tube in the head of that cask, and through a continuation ofthis last tube it is forced to a point near the bottom of the water incask E, and there escaping from that tube ascends through the water toanother tube in the head of cask E, and through a continuation of thislatter tube it is forced to a point near the bottom of the water in caskF, and there escaping from that tube ascends through the water toanother tube in the head of cask F, and through a continuation of thislast tube is forced to a point near the bottom of cask G, and thereescaping ascends through the water in that cask to the surface, andhence escapes to the open air at the point B. In passing through theliquor in cask D the forced air becomes partially charged with alcoholicspirits, and in passing through the wa ter in cas r E is divested of aportion of that charge, which portion is retained in that Water; and inpassing through the water of each of the successive casks E and G thesame effect of divesting the forced air of its remaining alcoholiccharge is consummated, so that on the final escape of the air from caskGr it is substantially purified of the alcohol, the whole of its-chargebeing so retained in the" water.

Instead of forcing the air through the liquor,

as above described, the air may be exhausted from the last of the seriesof water-casks, when the atmospheric pressure will force the air throughthe liquor and water, thus accomplishing the same result. The spirits incask Dis by this process divested of its newness and raw properties, andmellowed, as by age, to any degree of mild ness that may be desired, andthereby rendered both palatable and healthy as it is practicable to makeit by the most protracted process of either time or other knownagencies. Vhen the water in cask E becomes charged with spirits, so thatthe water is about half the strengh of proof-spirits, it should be drawnoff and the cask again filled with pure water. The conducting-tubesshould be so arranged with suitable stop-cocks that the air and alcoholwith which it may be charged from the liquor in cask D can be forcedinto either of the water-casks at pleas ure, always allowing the air toescape into the open atmosphere from the water-cask in which the wateris the purest. None of the casks should be entirely filled; but a spaceshould be left between the top of the liquor and water and the heads ofthe easks for an air-chamber and to prevent the liquor and water frombeing driven out of the casks intot e tubes. The liquor in thewater-casks is say d by distilla tion or by using the water containingthe largest percent-agc of spirits to reduce other like spirits of highproof.

The advantage we claim for our said process is the destruction orneutralization of the deleterious properties of alcoholic liquor,render-,

amount of age is capable of effecting in it, and without theadulteration of it by the introduction of any foreign ingredients.

\Ve have described above What we believe to be the most convenient formof apparatus for the purpose designed; but We do not confine ourselvesto any particular form of apparatus. Any other arrangement substantiallythe same may be substituted.

\Ve disclaim the dropping of ardent spirits through the air, as that isa We1l-known process and has been long in use.

Vhat we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

JOHN JAMES SPEED. FRANCIS B. SMITH.

Witnesses:

J. A. BAILEY, 0. T. SMITH.

